Tomato Panic!
by BadKitty17
Summary: Antonio transfers to an all boys' boarding school, where he meets the mysterious, and pain-filled Etoile, Arthur. UKSpain, GerIta, and mention of AsaKiku.
1. Carnation

**Hetalia is owned by Hidekaz Himaruya, this fanfiction is owned by me.**

A huge cathedral sat at the top of a hill, with spires that were so high, that they looked like they were mere inches from heaven. Several buildings surrounded it; three schools, three dormitories, stables, a horse-racing track, a football pitch...There were so many things on Astrea Hill.

All of the buildings here belonged to the three schools sharing Astrea Hill, which were St Miator's School, St Spica Boys' Institute, and St Lulim's School for Boys.

Antonio had just transferred to St Miator's, after his parents had gone abroad for work, and he'd chosen to stay behind. It was his first time attending a boarding school, and he had yet to learn anything about the school; all he'd been told by his parents, was that St Miator's had an excellent reputation for teaching boys how to be fine young gentlemen, and that most students left there with glowing CVs, and very high grades.

 _Let's see...I'm supposed to go to the headteacher's office at Miator's but where is that?_

Truth be told, Antonio didn't even know which building he should head for, given that he didn't have a clue what it looked like. He would've tried following the students in uniform, but how would he know if he was following the right people?

Every school on the hill had its own uniform. St Miator's students wore black, puritan-collared shirts, with short, fat ties, St Spica boys wore white blazers, with checked ties and gold buttons, and St Lulim's boys wore beige cardigans, with string bow ties...And none of the uniforms had the school's name on them!

Before long, Antonio had completely lost his way, and had found himself deep in the woods behind the racing track.

 _Great. Just great._

He was supposed to be at Miator's by nine, and now it was nine twenty. He was late for his settling-in day! This was a disaster!

"Oh, are you perhaps lost?"

The words came from a blond boy, in a black, puritan-collared shirt, with a fat tie, and a silver pendant, with a blue, teardrop shaped stone. His eyes were like polished emeralds, and his skin was as smooth and white as a pearl...

Antonio felt like his heart was going to stop the instant that he met eyes with that boy...But, though flustered, he said, "Y-yeah. I'm looking for St Miator's School, do you know where it is?"

The boy chuckled, bringing his hand up to caress Antonio's cheek. "Oh, so you're the new boy," he purred, his eyes flashing a peridot green, "My, what a pretty one you are~"

"U-um...Thanks?" Antonio stuttered, "So, can you tell me which way I need to go?"

The blond glared playfully at Antonio, teasing his lips with his forefinger. "Yeah, I'll tell you...But first~"

And before Antonio could say anything, his lips were locked with the other boy's. They stayed like that for a few seconds, and then the blond boy pulled away.

What was with this kid?! He'd only just met Antonio, and he had already made a move on him! Maybe Antonio's parents were wrong about St Miator's students being taught how to be gentlemen, judging by the way that this student was acting. He hadn't even had the decency to introduce himself, before he kissed Antonio!

Just as the boy was about to explain where he needed to go, Antonio, thoroughly confused and overwhelmed by what had just happened, passed out, falling to the ground with a thud...

 **I'm back! I know it's been a while, but college has been keeping me busy, plus I've had to deal with a few health problems...But now I have much more time, and I've recovered, so I'm writing this long fic to make up for my absence! Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **Kitty x**


	2. Rose

**Hetalia is owned by Hidekaz Himaruya, this fanfiction is owned by me.**

The first thing that Antonio noticed when he awoke wasn't the fact that he was in a rumpled bed, covered only by a very thin blanket-In fact, it would've been more accurate to call it a sheet, seriously, did they really think that an ailing student would be able to keep warm in the thing?-Or how much the fluorescent light above him stood out against the wooden ceiling, worn badly by age. No, the first that thing he noticed, was the boy who was looking over him.

Said boy was wearing the exact same uniform as the one he'd met out behind the racetrack; black shirt, with a fat, dark green tie, but he didn't have a pendant, like the boy he met outside. He had an odd expression, with a mouth permanently etched into a frown, brown eyes, and brunet hair, with a single curl sticking out to the right.

"Oh, so you're awake?" The boy scoffed.

Antonio sat up quickly, finding nothing but the headboard to support himself with. "Y-yeah. My name's"-

"Antonio Fernandez Carriedo? Yeah, I already know. Welcome to St Miator's," the boy cut in.

"How do you"-

"Know my name?" the boy interrupted again, "Well, the headteacher told me that when she said that I was getting a new room-mate. The name's Lovino Vargas," and he extended his hand to Antonio, "Charmed."

Antonio put his hand out, to shake the other boy's. "Nice to meet you."

"So, do you remember what happened out there?" Lovino enquired, his tone souring, "Or do you need me to remind you about how Mr Etoile himself carried you here after you fainted?"

"E-Etoile?"

"Yeah, Arthur Kirkland, the Etoile, you dumb shit," Lovino spat, "Respected and idolised representative of all three schools on Astraea Hill!"

"Well, excuse me, but I am new around here, and up until now, I had no idea what the Etoile thing was!" Antonio returned annoyedly, "And by the way...Your Etoile happened to kiss me before I passed out."

Lovino's face went white. "W-what?! No, that's bullshit!" he exclaimed, "You don't fucking joke about something like that!"

"But it's true," Antonio answered, "Swear on my life!"

His companion _hmpfed_ indignantly, rising to his feet. "Great job, Antonio, you haven't even started lessons yet, and you're already going to be the talk of all three schools! The new boy who got a kiss from the Etoile," he said, pulling out a tape measure, "Now, are you ok to stand up? I need to take a few measurements...So the school can make sure that they ordered you the right size uniform!"

"I'm fine," Antonio assured him, shakily planting his feet on the ground.

Was it Antonio's imagination, or was Lovino blushing as he wrapped the tape measure around his hips and thighs...?

B-B-B-B-B-B-B

"Arthur! I can't believe that you went and did it again! You may be the Etoile, but that doesn't give you the right to just hit on anyone you please!"

Arthur laid on his dorm bed, his eyes half buried in a French textbook, and his collar a mess. Earphones, connected to his MP3 player blocked out his room-mate, Afonso, and his rant.

"Arthur! You can't keep playing around like this, especially not with the new boy, whom we're supposed to meet at his dorm in five minutes!"

It appeared that the 'five minutes' part happened to get through to Arthur. He yanked out one of his earbuds, and mumbled, "Hm? Oh, you mean the one that I dropped off at the nurse's office?"

"Sim, the one you kissed," Afonso growled, "Now, make yourself presentable, and let's go!"

Another new student. Ordinarily, Arthur would've barely bother with getting up to help the new boy, but for the cute little lost one, out behind the racetrack...He was glad to go and see him...

Straightening his collar, and clipping his pendant around his neck, Arthur was quite satisfied that he'd found someone else to play with...

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B

"So, these are the Tomato Dorms, where we sleep, eat, and relax, when we don't have lessons," Lovino explained, "Breakfast is served at seven-thirty on school days, and then we have school until one o'clock, which is our free hour to eat lunch, and do whatever else we want. Then it's lessons again until three, and then we have two hours before they serve dinner. And after that, we have free time, up until eleven o'clock, then it's lights out, and we have to go to bed."

 _That's a lot to take in,_ Antonio thought, _I hope I can get used to all of that quickly..._

"Oh, and my room's right here!" Lovino finished, "Though, I guess that it's _our_ room now..."

And there he was...

The boy with the blond hair, and the teardrop-shaped pendant. He stood with a box and a coat hanger in his hands, as well as a key. And just as before, the second that Antonio looked into his eyes, he felt like his heart was going to stop, and his cheeks caught fire.

"Welcome to St Miator's School, Antonio."

In his daze, induced by the blond boy-No, Arthur Kirkland, the Etoile-Antonio had completely failed to notice the other boy accompanying him. This other boy was stocky-built, and had long, chestnut-brown hair, pulled into a messy ponytail.

"H-hi," Antonio stuttered, tearing his eyes away from Arthur.

"My name is Afonso Luso, and I'm the student council president here at St Miator's," the ponytailed boy greeted, "If you ever feel troubled about anything, please come and talk to me about it."

"T-thank you," Antonio answered.

The Etoile came forward next.

"And I'm the Etoile, Arthur Kirkland. You can just call me Arthur, though," the boy chuckled.

"What?! Why does he get to call you Arthur, when the rest of us have to call you Mr Etoile?!" Lovino whined.

Apparently deaf to the complaint, Arthur continued, "Your suitcase is already in your room, and I've got your uniform, and your dorm key here," and he looked in Afonso and Lovino's direction, "Would you two stay outside for a moment? I want to double check something in the dorm."

What choice did they have?

"Yes, Mr Etoile," Afonso and Lovino droned.

Arthur opened the door for Antonio, leading him into the dorm, and handing him the box, with his uniform inside.

"Now," Arthur ordered, "Would you go and put your uniform on, and then come and tell me if it fits alright?"

Too embarrassed to speak, Antonio simply nodded, and retreated into the bathroom. He managed to put the uniform on quickly, but found that he had to fuss with the tie for a bit, before he got it to sit straight.

"It's perfect," he informed Arthur, as he stepped out of the bathroom.

Arthur scanned all of Antonio's frame with hungry eyes. Ah, it should be illegal for one to look this cute in uniform! "Yes, it is indeed," he agreed, stifling a giggle at how red Antonio's cheeks were...

 **Alright! So, now, here's the cast list for this crossover, so far!**

 **Spain: Nagisa Aoi**

 **England: Shizuma Hanazono**

 **Portugal: Miyuki Rokujou**

 **Lovino: Tamao Suzumi**

 **Germany: Amane Ohtori**

 **Italy: Hikari Konohana**

 **Japan: Kaori Sakuragi**

 **See ya next chapter!**

 **Kitty x**


	3. Amaryllis

_Hmm...So it's English first...I wonder what my classmates will be like?_

That innocent thought served as a rather ineffective distraction from what was going on inside Antonio's mind right now. From his still-pounding heart, his burnt cheeks, and the feeling which stirred up from deep within whenever he was around Arthur. Was it joy? Embarrassment? Admiration for the blond Etoile? Somehow, it felt like an odd combination of the three.

That morning, he'd figured out that Arthur and Afonso's room was just down the hall from his and Lovino's, when he saw them emerging. Afonso had managed to slip away quietly to the dining hall, meanwhile Arthur was stopped by almost every student who crossed his path, all of them bowing and repeating the same greeting:

"Good morning, Mr Etoile."

As much as Antonio would've been fine just to watch the little display of worship that Arthur was receiving, he was quick to receive a jab from Lovino, who told him to _hurry the fuck up_ so that they could go and eat breakfast.

And now, it seemed like Lovino wasn't kidding when he said that Antonio would be the talk of all three schools. The second he stepped into the classroom, he was bombarded with questions from his classmates:

"Did the Etoile really kiss you?!"

"I'm so jealous!"

"What was it like?"

All of that had made it rather difficult to listen to Sister Caroline's reading of _The Yellow Palm..._

After a mostly uneventful first day, Antonio had decided to check out some of the clubs that St Miator's had on offer, along with Lovino...

First on the list was the literature club, in which Lovino recited a love poem, which he had written...

"...Rainbow, rainbow, I live with thee," he finished, prompting cries for an encore from the other members of the club.

"It's about a love which my main character knows is doomed, but he decides to pursue it anyway," Lovino explained, to Antonio.

"Interesting. Did you have anyone in mind when you wrote it, Lovino?" Antonio teased.

The Italian's face turned beet red, as he turned his face to the ground. "O-of course not, you b-bastard!"

And that sent Antonio into a fit of laughter as they came up to the room being used by the ballroom dance club.

Next came the archery club, and the football team, and a few other strange ones. By the time Antonio and Lovino had reached the baking club's kitchen, they'd learned how to cha-cha, shot at a target, scored a goal, recited an ancient blessing, knitted woolly scarves, and learned how to sing falsetto.

"Ah, have we got ourselves a pair of newbies?" a Turkish boy, in a white mask enquired, as Antonio and Lovino entered the room, "Welcome to St Miator's Baking Club! I'm Sadik, the club president!"

"Nice to meet you," Antonio greeted, "So, what are you making today?"

"We've decided to try out a recipe for butter cookies. If you like, you can stick around and give us a hand," Sadik offered.

"Sounds like fun! What do you think, Lovino?" Antonio asked, turning to look for his room-mate's approval.

"Sure...We can, if you want to," he agreed.

And after that, the two came away with bags of freshly-baked cookies, to add to the mountain of other things which they had received from the weird and wonderful clubs of St Miator's...

"We've still got an hour before dinner. I'm gonna go crash in our room," Lovino yawned, "Coming with me?"

"I want to explore a bit more," Antonio told him, "I heard that the greenhouse is pretty nice, so I'm going there."

Lovino _hmpfed_ and turned away, leaving Antonio to explore on his own.

The greenhouse was on the sunniest area of Astraea hill, and located somewhere in the middle of St Miator's and St Spica Boys' Institute. It was an enormous, dome-shaped structure, always filled with the sweetest-smelling flowers...

"I wonder who these roses are for?" Antonio enquired aloud, noticing a half-wrapped bouquet of yellow roses, in a bucket.

Just up ahead, sat an ornate table was...Arthur? Yes, Antonio could've recognised that blue pendant, and those huge eyebrows anywhere.

Arthur sat, stirring a cup of tea listlessly, as he gazed at the empty chair opposite him. His eyes appeared red and cloudy, and his cheeks looked a little stained. Never had Antonio come across someone, who looked quite so alone, in all his life.

Though, come to think of it, he probably wanted to be alone, so it was best that Antonio get out, ASAP...Well, that was the plan, until he tripped on a cobblestone in the walkway...

"Are you alright?"

Arthur was in front of Antonio, helping him to his feet before Antonio had even realised that he'd hit the ground.

"U-um, yeah I'm fine," he answered, "I was just leaving"-

"No. Stay, if you want to," Arthur invited, "I just made tea."

Antonio wordlessly accepted the invitation, taking the seat opposite Arthur.

"My friend sent me this blend. It's called Russian caravan," Arthur explained, as he poured some for Antonio.

The boy held the cup to his lips, inhaling the light floral fragrance the tea gave off. He knew exactly what to have with it...But first...

"It's lovely," he said, having taken a sip. The tea tasted exactly the way it smelled; like fresh flowers and foreign spices and snowdrift. It was truly deserving of the name, Russian caravan.

"I'm glad you like it," Arthur replied, a genuine smile coming to his face.

Antonio took the cookies he'd made from his bag, placing them between himself and Arthur. "Um...I made these this afternoon...I thought that they might go with the tea..."

Arthur grinned sheepishly as he reached for one, noticing far too late that most of them had been broken inside Antonio's bag. But, even so...

"They're delicious," he beamed, dipping a broken piece into his tea.

Why were such simple words making Antonio feel like he could conquer the world...?

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B

"You skipped the student council meeting, and the first-year welcome party, so that you could have tea with the new boy in the greenhouse?!" Afonso ranted.

"I meant to skip the meeting, but not the welcome party," Arthur explained, "It isn't my fault that I caught the new boy in my favourite spot!"

"You'd better pull your act together soon, Arthur," his room-mate continued, "This behaviour is not acceptable, considering the fact that you are the Etoile, and you have students from all three schools at Astraea Hill looking up to you!"

Arthur shrugged, and sank further down on his bed. "I'll go to the welcoming ceremony for Spica's show-jumping team tomorrow. Happy?"

"You, performing one of your Etoile duties? I'll believe it when I see it," Afonso huffed. "Good-night!"


	4. Poppy

**Note: This is a GerIta chapter, but there will be minor UKSpain**

"I wonder...Which are happier?" Arthur mumbled listlessly, playing with the petals of a large hydrangea. Just as Arthur was heading to the library, to return the textbook he'd borrowed, an enormous downpour had hit Astraea Hill, and he'd been forced to take refuge in the greenhouse. In the warm, dry greenhouse, where all the plants inside were safe, and warm, and sheltered from the outside world.

Not like the roses, which some of St Lulim's students kept in their own allotment, a short distance from St Spica's horse stables.

"The flowers sheltered by the greenhouse? Or..." and Arthur thought about the poor, white roses, receiving a thorough soaking from the sky, "The flowers in the outside world, which must endure the rain?"

He pondered that quietly to himself, until the sun broke through the clouds, and the rain dried up...

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B

Feliciano had always believed in angels. Especially guardian angels.

Somewhere out there, there was surely a beautiful angel watching over him, he was sure of it, and that angel would be there for him in this life, and the next.

Actually, his angel wasn't somewhere out there. He was quite sure that he'd already found him.

Ludwig Beilschmidt, otherwise known as the prince of St Spica Boys' Institute. Captain of the show-jumping team, who rode a white stallion named Star-Bright. Yes...

Ludwig Beilschmidt was Feliciano's angel.

Of course, when he'd told his room-mate, and fellow member of the choir, Francis, that he had a little crush on Ludwig, his first response was:

"I heard that Ludwig doesn't have a partner yet, so you've got a chance!"

Sadly, Feliciano never got the chance to even speak to Ludwig. The prince of St Spica's was always busying himself with one thing or another, whether that was schoolwork, show-jumping, or...Other things (Feliciano had heard a rumour that Ludwig liked to use the school kitchen to bake when everyone else was in bed!)

But today, Feliciano was going to be performing for his angel...So he'd better not mess up!

The show jumping team had just come back from a big event, and today, Feliciano was going to sing for them, as part of St Spica's Choir. Standing up on stage, with Mr Etoile, and the student council presidents of all three schools, and the rest of St Spica's Choir-Whom were nicknamed, 'The Heavenly Chorus' by a lot of the boys on Astraea Hill-In front of Ludwig, and the other members of the show jumping team...Feliciano was a tad bit nervous, but as long as he kept his eyes focused on his angel, and didn't mess up, he'd be a-ok.

"Congratulations on placing second," Arthur greeted, handing Ludwig a bouquet of yellow roses and hydrangeas.

"Thank you, Mr Etoile," Ludwig replied cordially, bowing before he went to stand with the rest of his team.

Arthur took his place next to Afonso, grinning a self-satisfied grin.

"So you actually showed up," Afonso whispered, "I'd have thought that you'd have found something else to do."

"I almost did," Arthur responded. He'd found Antonio studying in his room, and the temptation to stay there and share a pot of the latest tea he'd managed to get his hands on-Earl Grey-had been unbearable. But Arthur had already skipped class twice this week, and missed the student council meeting, and the first-year welcome party, and if he had one more black mark against his name, he would be off to the disciplinary room with Sister Marianne. Boy, could that old bat lecture...So he'd had to attend to at least one of his Etoile duties today...

Feliciano bounced about in his spot, ready to belt out the song that the choir had chosen for the occasion, just as the organist had been given his cue...

"Like the white of a sublime lily..." Feliciano sang confidently.

And the organist stopped suddenly, his hands freezing in mid-air, as he, and the rest of the choir turned to glare at the offending singer.

 _Huh? Why is nobody else singing?_

And Feliciano realised all too late

And Feliciano realised all too late that he'd started singing too early. He'd practiced for months with the rest of the choir, but he still managed to mess up...In front of his angel as well!

He stood in his place, too embarrassed to even think about singing again, even when the organist resumed playing, and the rest of the choir attempted their song once more...

After the performance, Feliciano ran off into the woods behind the racing track, completely unable to face anyone, not even Francis. He really didn't want to skip dinner that night, especially since they were serving his favourite pasta, but he couldn't bring himself to even share a dining room with the choir...Or with his angel after what he'd done.

He knelt at the foot of a large oak, trying to take his mind off of what had happened...

Hoof-beats rang through the air, seemingly getting closer...No, it was probably another member of the show-jumping team, and not Ludwig...How dare he get his hopes up!

"Easy, Star-Bright," someone commanded, as a horse whinnied loudly.

Star-Bright? And...Ludwig?

Feliciano craned his neck to the left, just in time to see Ludwig stepping down from Star-Bright's stirrup.

"There's a good boy," he said, patting the large stallion's flank, before he caught sight of Feliciano. His piercing blue gaze caught Feliciano's brown eyes immediately.

"L-look, I know I messed up really bad earlier, but"-

"Save your apologies for the nuns, and your choir."

Feliciano agreed quietly. "O-ok..."

Ludwig offered his hand out to Feliciano. "I know you feel bad about what happened earlier, but everyone's really worried about you! Your room-mate's been looking all over the school for you," he informed him.

"But how can I face them after what I did?" Feliciano cried, "After I ruined your welcoming ceremony"-

"You didn't ruin it," Ludwig assured him, "Everyone messes up sometimes. Now, let's get you back to your dorm, before Sister Marianne catches us."

No reply.

Ludwig sighed deeply. "Francis saved you a plate of pasta," he offered, "And I'll let you ride Star-Bright with me..."

"Then I'm coming back!" Feliciano accepted, taking Ludwig's hand as he helped him into the saddle. An evening ride, with his angel...His heart felt like it was going to explode from joy...

"Y'know," Ludwig began, "When I went to my first event, I messed up a lot too. Everyone laughed at me, since I couldn't get my horse to jump at all. I was so embarrassed."

"Like I was today?" Feliciano asked.

"Ja. I ran away, thought about giving up, even, but the knowledge that I would never prove everyone who laughed at me that day wrong, that I'd never show them that I could show-jump if I gave up made me need to keep going."

Feliciano smiled quietly to himself as he was carried back to school, nestled in the arms of his angel and his steed.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B

Arthur placed a pendant, identical to his own, save for it being red instead of blue, on an empty chair opposite him, before he poured two cups of green tea.

"I brought you your favourite tonight," he said, his voice slightly cracked, "Just the way you like it."


	5. Freesia

"It's so boring up here on weekends!" Lovino complained, "There's virtually nothing to do!"

"You mean, besides go and watch St Spica's show-jumping team practice, study, play a game on the football pitch, make tea, go for a walk in the greenhouse, or attend the next meeting of the baking club?" Antonio responded cheekily, throwing a pillow at his room-mate.

"I don't feel like doing any those things," the boy scoffed, "And the baking club's meeting isn't until twelve!"

"Well, stay in our room and be bored if you want, but I'm gonna go look for something fun to do," Antonio decided, slipping on a battered pair of trainers, and grabbing his room key as he went off to explore Astraea Hill.

Seeing as Astraea Hill was a good ten miles from civilisation, and that there were no bus stations anywhere nearby where the students could hitch a lift to the nearest town, everyone was always stuck at school at the weekends, unless they had to go somewhere because of their club. And right now, Antonio didn't feel like forking out for a cab, seeing as he a.) Didn't have the money and b.) Didn't know exactly where it was that he wanted to go.

"Toni! Hey!"

"Oh, hi Sadik!" Antonio replied, catching his new friend in the common room, "Up to much?"

"Just waiting for a few friends," Sadik told him, "Feliciano suggested that we all get together and play hide-and-seek, since we've got nothing else to do right now."

Feliciano...Antonio hadn't heard that name in any of his classes...

"Bonjour!"

"Yo!"

"Ciao!"

Three boys came into the common room, one blond, one bespectacled, and one with a curl, like Lovino's.

"These are my friends, Francis, Alfred, and Feliciano," Sadik informed Antonio, "Feliciano and Francis are from St Spica's, and Alfred is from St Lulim's."

The blonde spoke first. "Ah, who's the new one?"

"My name's Antonio," Antonio said, "I just transferred to St Miator's."

The bespectacled boy spoke up next. "Welcome to Astraea Hill!"

And lastly, the boy with the curl said, "So, you wanna play hide-and-seek with us?"

With nothing else to do, Antonio accepted the invitation. Sure, it seemed really odd to be playing hide-and-seek when he was fourteen years old, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do, and besides, here he had the perfect opportunity to make some friends apart from grumpy Lovino.

"Hey! Afonso, you wanna join in?" Sadik asked, noticing the student council president of St Miator's sat in a corner.

"I haven't got any duties to attend to right now, so I might as well," he agreed.

"One, two, three..."

Everyone scattered quickly as Feliciano began counting. Now, where could Antonio hide? It looked like most of the spots in the common room and on the stairs were taken...

Antonio stumbled across an empty room at the end of the hallway...It was clear that it didn't currently belong to anyone, since its number appeared to have been hastily scraped off long ago. It was the perfect place to hide!

He giggled to himself as he opened and closed the door quietly...Surely Feliciano would never find him here!

He took note of just how bare the little room was as he searched for the best possible hiding spot; all of the books were gone from the shelves, and the bed had been stripped, leaving nothing but the mattress, which still had hollow imprints from the person who last slept in it. The curtains were drawn, and on closer inspection, it looked like someone had attempted to brick up the window...

But there was a pendant, identical to Arthur's, save for it being red and not blue hanging from a chair at the desk. And on the desk, there was a cold cup of tea, and a picture, of Arthur sat with another boy...

There was little time to contemplate who that boy might have been, as footsteps, along with Feliciano's cries of, "Sadik, Alfred, I found you!" could be heard outside the door. So Antonio dived under the bed frame, and held his breath...

But the boy who came into the room clearly wasn't Feliciano; he had the wrong outfit on, for starters...Hey, it was a weekend, so why was the mystery person wearing his St Miator uniform? And...

That blue pendant...

Arthur! Maybe he had to clean out this room to make way for a new student?

Arthur pulled out the chair at the desk...And wept.

That was it.

He sat there, for God knows how long, just weeping quietly at the desk. But the weak nature of his sobs suggested that the thing he happened to be upset about wasn't new; he didn't seem at all angry, or in denial about it, whatever this thing was, he'd long ago accepted it. But it was tearing him apart from the inside, and the despairing wails he let out every now and again were definite proof of that.

Arthur eventually left, completely unaware of Antonio's presence.

The next people to find the room were Feliciano, and Afonso, thankfully.

"Antonio, I found you!" Feliciano cried, yanking Antonio out from under the bed.

"Ok, you got me," Antonio agreed, graciously accepting his defeat.

"He picked a great hiding spot, right, Afonso?" Feliciano asked, jostling the other boy, "I'd never have thought to hide in _this_ room!"

"He sure did," Afonso grunted, "Feliciano, go and find the others. Antonio and I will stay here for a moment."

Feliciano agreed happily, and ran from the room.

Afonso glared at Antonio, as though he had violated sacred ground. "Antonio, I presume that Arthur hasn't told you about this room?" he enquired sternly.

"N-no, why?"

The boy shook his head. "How were you to know what happened here? Listen, I will let you off just this once, seeing as you didn't know that this room is off limits, but from now on, you are never to enter this room. Is that clear?" Afonso warned.

"Y-yes," Antonio replied.

This forbidden room, and the way Arthur wept at the desk...What terrible story could have unfolded here?


	6. Hellebore

"And...We're...Done!" Antonio said triumphantly, wiping a smear of icing off of the counter, "That's one sachertorte, three trays of cookies, a dozen cupcakes, and some suzu castella!"

The afternoon meeting of the baking club had been a remarkable success, even if it didn't quite go to plan...At first, the group had agreed to make a sachertorte, something which they thought would take a long time, seeing as the dessert required so many layers...But with everyone's help, it didn't take very long at all. So then Sadik suggested that they make something else to fill up the remaining hour for which the group had use of the school's kitchen, but no-one could quite agree on what to make, so they all did their own thing.

"I'd say that we have enough stuff here for a tea party," Sadik remarked.

"Then maybe we should have a tea party," Antonio suggested, "How else are we going to finish up all of these sweets?"

Lovino glanced up at the clock, before he made his remark. "That's such a girly thing to do! Besides, it's almost time for dinner, and you know what Sister Bernadette will do to us if we don't eat it all!"

Ah, Sister Bernadette...One of the crabbiest nuns in the school. Antonio remembered the other night, when his least favourite food was being served, all too well. For not licking his plate clean, he'd ended up with a twenty minute lecture from her and Sister Marianne in the disciplinary room...

"Then why don't we have it later?" Sadik suggested, "We'll have a midnight tea party, and we'll invite Francis and Feliciano!"

"And how are we gonna do that without getting caught?!" Lovino scoffed.

"Don't worry, we won't get caught," Antonio assured him, "I'll hide the treats under my bed"-

"And I'll bring the tea," Sadik offered.

"I'm sure some Lapsang Souchong would go great with all of this."

The group all turned to face that familiar voice. Arthur, still in his uniform, bright-eyed and clean cheeked, as if his episode of quiet sobbing in that room had never occurred. Antonio wasn't going to question him about it, though. The Etoile bore such a heavy burden, being the figurehead of all three schools on Astraea Hill, so maybe he was just a bit stressed? But if that was the case, why did he choose that room, which Afonso said was off-limits, to vent his stress in, when there were plenty of other, more private places to do it?

"Good afternoon, Mr Etoile," Sadik greeted cordially, "What brings you here?"

"I was just wondering if I could join you for your tea party," Arthur said innocently, "It does sound like a lot of fun~"

"What, are you gonna rat us out to the nuns are something?!" Lovino spat, " _Mr Etoile?"_

"And why would I do that?" Arthur purred, "I wouldn't want a cute little thing like..." and he scanned the room for Antonio, eventually finding him stood by one of the ovens, "You to suffer at the hands of the nuns~"

Antonio stood, completely paralysed as a heatwave washed over him. A midnight tea party with Arthur? Ok, he was going to be surrounded by his new friends, but the knowledge that Arthur was going to be by his side that night made him want to explode...

"K-keep your hands off of him!" Lovino cried, as Arthur's fingers ghosted over Antonio's lips, "You're making him uncomfortable, bastard!"

"N-no...I'm f-fine..." Antonio assured him.

Arthur, satisfied that he'd had enough fun with the baking club, let Antonio go, and slyly whispered, "See you at dinner~"

Later that night, Antonio and Lovino set out everything that they had made that afternoon as quietly as they could, arranging the sweets on their tiny table as best as they could.

Before long, Arthur arrived, along with Sadik...But soon enough, Francis and Feliciano were there too...

"Bonjour~" Francis trilled,

"Ciao!" Feliciano cried.

"Sh! Not so loud! You'll wake the"-

"Wake who?"

The boys froze in their spots. Sister Bernardette and Sister Marianne were at their door, stern expressions on their faces. Fuck...

 **Yo! Sorry, I know it's been a long wait, but I finally got this chapter done...In fact, lots of things have kept me from posting it, namely, a hiking trip to Scotland, a back injury, and business with some of my other projects...I'm sorry I can't tell you when the next chapter is coming, but I honestly don't know when I can get it done...Thanks for your patience,**

 **Kitty x**


	7. Hyacinth

"You will not leave until you have scrubbed all one hundred and fifty steps. Understood?"

"Yes, Sister Marianne," the boys droned.

As punishment for last night, not only had Antonio and the others received a lecture from Sister Marianne and Sister Bernadette for being out of bed after lights out, but they had also been given the monumental task of cleaning some old building-Apparently one which the first nuns of Astraea Hill had had to clean every day or something-So there they were, with nothing but a load of deck brushes, a bucket of soapy water, and a wet floor sign to complete their task with.

"Good," Sister Marianne said, "I do not expect to see such behaviour again. Especially not from the Etoile," and she glared at Arthur, "I just hope that you will learn to behave yourself in time for the next Etoile election!"

And with that, the crabby old lady left, her habit flapping a little in the breeze as she shut the door.

"I knew we'd get caught!" Lovino huffed, "And now we have to spend all day doing this!"

"Shut yer yap and get cleanin'! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can leave!" Sadik snapped, dunking his deck brush into the water.

"So...It'll be time for me to give this back soon..." Arthur mumbled, clutching his pendant tightly.

"Ya say something, Mr Etoile?!" Lovino growled, jabbing Arthur with the end of his brush.

"Nothing, Lovino," Arthur replied.

"If we move the bucket up to the first flight of stairs, we could get two flights done at once," Antonio suggested, "Three us can do the first flight, while the other three do the second!"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Francis agreed, "So, who's doing flight one, with me?"

"Me!" Feliciano volunteered, "And Lovi, too!"

"Well, that seems fair enough," Arthur replied, "So, that means I get to spend a day cleaning with Sadik…And cute little Toni!"

Lovino turned bright red, "N-no! Antonio, come with Francis and me! I don't want you near Arthur…I mean, Mr Etoile!"

Arthur gave a wry smile. "Oh, my! Is there a problem, Lovino? Am I diseased? Dirty? Not good enough to be with your poor precious Toni?"

Be with Toni? Lovino shuddered at the words…That dirty Etoile didn't deserve to have Antonio…On his cleaning team! Yeah, his cleaning team, and not…Something else.

"I-it's fine," Antonio interjected, his cheeks red from apprehension, "I don't mind being with Arthur, really!"

Arthur gave Lovino a victorious smile. "So, it's decided. Antonio will go with Sadik and me. Is that alright, Lovino?"

The Italian's curl appeared to bend out of shape as he turned his face away from the group and spat, "Y-yeah. It's fine. It's fucking fine!"

"Now, let's begin!" Arthur said triumphantly.

The group got to work quickly, scrubbing each step until it was scrupulously clean (If they half-assed it, they'd certainly have to face the wrath of the nuns again!) Lovino ended up doing most of his team's work, as Feliciano kept playing with his brush, and moaning that he was hungry, while Francis was too worried about getting his outfit dirty to actually do much cleaning.

But after cleaning each step, Lovino just had to take a peek at what Arthur and Antonio were doing. At first, they were just chatting and cleaning…Not a problem…Then Arthur must've made some kind of joke, because Antonio happened to be giggling and blushing the next time he checked…Then Antonio and Arthur ignored each other for a bit.

Lovino wasn't even looking where he was going the next time he went for a peek at the two, and he fell, hitting Antonio and taking him with him on the way down…

"Shit!" the boys cried, landing side by side, in awkward positions.

Lovino didn't take time to assess his own condition, he just focused on seeing if Antonio was ok…

"Antonio, what happened to your leg?! Fuck, you need a doctor!"

Antonio took a look down at the leg in question, finding nothing but a small graze on his knee. Nothing to freak out about…

"I'm fine, Lovino," he assured, "Are _you_ hurt?"

Lovino shook his head. "I'm getting you outta here. You can't clean in your condition"—

"You're right. He can't."

Arthur had come down the stairs, armed with a handkerchief. "I'll take Antonio back to your dorm. Lovino, go and join the others."

"B-but, Arthur, I'm fine!" Antonio protested.

Arthur leaned in close, and softly whispered in Antonio's ear: "I know you are. But, would you rather stay here and clean, or would you rather come have some tea with me?"

And suddenly, Antonio was not in fact, fine at all. "O-oh, God, the pain! I think I've broken it!" he wailed melodramatically, clutching his bleeding knee.

That was Arthur's cue to get into character. "Everyone, I'm sorry, but I need to take Antonio to the nurse's office. Will you be alright finishing the job on your own?"

Most of his subordinate pupils quietly agreed to pick up the slack. Most…

"I'm coming too!" Lovino insisted, "Someone needs to go with Antonio, for…Support!"

Embarrassed, Antonio clung tightly to Arthur. "I-I think Arthur will be all the support I need, but, thanks anyway, Lovino," he said quietly.

Antonio turned to look up at Arthur. _Go,_ he mouthed, and Arthur obediently took him away from their punishment.

Lovino fumed as the Etoile left the building…How dare he set his sights on Antonio! How dare he take his Antonio…Wait, no Antonio wasn't his…But, how dare he treat Antonio as if he were his…his…Lover!

 **I am so so sorry for how late this is! A lot's happened to me in the past few months…Once my back healed, I got a throat infection, then I had to have eleven injections (Ow!), then I went to South Africa for two weeks, and then my teachers dumped a butt-load of assignments on me QAQ**

 **Thanks again for your patience, and hope to see y'all next chapter,**

 **Kitty x**


	8. Tulip

It was only when Arthur had arrived at the greenhouse, still carrying Antonio, that he signalled for him to stop playing the 'injured student'...

"Why'd you bring me to the greenhouse? Won't the nuns catch us here?" Antonio enquired.

"The nuns never come by the greenhouse, unless I specifically ask them to," Arthur answered, "This place belongs to the Etoiles-I mean, Etoile! One of my duties is growing flowers, to be used in events around Astraea Hill, so I have free reign of the greenhouse."

The place seemed a bit big, for just one person to manage all alone...Everywhere Antonio looked, there were flowers, row upon row of flowers, for just about every occasion. Neat red roses sat with ruffled carnations, hydrangeas jostled for attention with ericas and morning glories...And then there was an entire section, dedicated only to red spider lilies...

"So you grew these, all by yourself?" Antonio questioned.

"Yes. We—No, I, the Etoile spend hours here every day just tending to these."

"We? What did you mean, we? Is there more than one Etoile?"

Arthur shook his head. "There's supposed to be two. I was very close with the other Etoile...Until...Until last year..." and his face fell, to assume a mournful expression as he thought of his dead partner.

 _Poor Arthur, having to do all of the Etoile's duties by himself..._

"Anyway," Arthur chirped, perking himself up, "Let's have some tea. Chamomile, or osomanthus?"

"Either's fine," Antonio replied quickly. He didn't really know much about tea, having only ever tasted Russian caravan, so he was open to trying just about any blend...

He watched silently as Arthur flicked the kettle on, and chose a tin of osomanthus from a box behind some white zinnias. Arthur placed strainers in both teacups, and filled them each with a spoonful of the blend, shortly before filling the teacups with hot water.

"Now, while we wait for those, let's take care of your knee," the blonde Etoile said, reaching around in his pockets.

"Huh? My knee's fine," Antonio protested, "It's not really broken, remember?"

"I know, but you've grazed it," Arthur said softly, "See? It's still bleeding."

A neat, red trickle ran down Antonio's trouser leg. _That's gonna be a pain to wash..._

The Etoile wiped up the blood, and popped a tiny plaster on the graze, before using a length of gauze to wrap up Antonio's entire lower leg.

"We need to make it look like you got really badly hurt, so the others don't catch on to us," Arthur explained, as he fastened the bandage.

"O-ok. I suppose my room-mate would flip if he knew I was here," Antonio chuckled.

"As would mine," Arthur added, "Room-mates. Aren't they the worst?"

Antonio 'mmed' lightly as he gave that statement some thought, "Well, Lovino's ok, I guess," he decided, "When he's not trying to wake me up early, so we can be the first to get breakfast."

Arthur shook his head. "Don't even get me started on Afonso. He may be my best friend, but all he does is nag, nag, nag. With him it's always, 'why didn't you go to the first year's welcome party?' this, or 'why don't you start attending school council meetings?' that!"

"He does have a point, though," the Spaniard offered, "You're the Etoile. You're supposed to be the one that everyone looks up to!"

Arthur took the strainers out of the teacups, and presented Antonio with his tea. "Whatever. It's not like he understands what being the Etoile is like. Do you want sugar with yours?"

Antonio took a sniff of the tea, and decided instantly that it would be better without sugar. It already smelled very sweet...

"Is it me, or does Lovino have a bit of a crush on you, Antonio?" Arthur enquired coyly, "He seemed rather...Possessive of you earlier..."

"Oh, he's always like that," Antonio replied, "He never wants to leave my side, and he doesn't seem to like you very much..."

Arthur's face twisted into a cheeky smirk. "Oh, is he afraid that I'll snatch you away forever and ever, like some fairytale prince?"

"Possibly," Antonio chuckled, taking a sip of the osomanthus tea. It was sweet, and very fragrant...

B-B-B-BBBBBBBBBBBB-B-B—BBBB-BB-BB

"How's your knee?" Lovino asked, touching the site of Antonio's graze.

"Ow! Don't touch there!" Antonio whined, "It really huuuuurts!"

"So, did the Etoile do anything except get you to the nurse?" Lovino enquired suspiciously, "Anything at all?"

Antonio shook his head. "He didn't do anything, except give me this," and he pulled a pink pouch of pukka tea out of his pocket.

Lovino repressed a shudder when he saw the word 'love' printed on the front...

"He said it would help me relax," Antonio beamed.

"Since when is it like Mr Etoile, aka, Arthur fucking Kirkland, to give gifts like these out?!" Lovino cried.

"Apparently, since today," Antonio replied calmly, placing the pouch on his bedside table.

The Italian growled to himself as Arthur's face popped into his head...How dare that perv take an interest in Antonio!

"That fucking Etoile better watch his step...I'll tear him to shreds if he tries anything with you ever again!"

"Woah," Antonio said, his wide eyes illuminating the room, "Since when do my encounters with Arthur bother you so much?"

Lovino's face went beet red as he realised that he'd said that out loud. "Forget it. Let's go the fuck to sleep," and he switched the lights off. If Arthur didn't back off of HIS Antonio soon, he was going to kill him...

 **Ah, jealousy...Gotta love it! I wrote this in one afternoon, while downing a cup of my favourite tea...What? I'm British, it's what we do! See ya next chapter, for more jealousy, more flirting, and a bit more about Arthur's tragic past!**

 **Kitty x**


	9. Thistle

A heavy storm had hit Astraea Hill overnight, resulting in most of the classrooms becoming too flooded for lessons that day...Most.

Unfortunately for the boys of St Lulim's, whose school sat at the top of Astraea Hill, their classrooms had remained bone dry, and so, it was business as usual...

But, the boys of St Miator's, and of St Spica's were off the hook for the day...That would've been brilliant for them, if it weren't still hammering it down outside.

Even so, Antonio had decided to make his way to the school's kitchen, to secretly bake something for his next meeting with Arthur (Which he was to go to at exactly seven o'clock that night, in the greenhouse). Since Arthur had mentioned that they would be having Darjeeling tea, Antonio had decided to make strawberry tarts to go with it. Apparently desserts with strawberries in them paired very well with Darjeeling...

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Antonio was stopped in his tracks by his angry room-mate, just as he was heading out the door.

Lovino glared at Antonio, his curl twitching, presumably with rage, "What are you doing with all of that, tomato bastard?!"

"Just going to the kitchen," Antonio said coyly, "No need to freak out, is there, _pasta bastard?"_

Lovino switched his focus to the contents of Antonio's bag, as he now found himself strangely unable to look his room-mate in the face...Hmm...Looked like Antonio was only carrying ingredients. Ingredients for what, though?

 _He's not gonna...Do that, is he?_

It was fairly common for younger students to give occasional gifts to the Etoile, usually in the form of homemade cookies or chocolate...But usually, they only gave such gifts because they...Had a thing for the Etoile. Was that what Antonio was planning to do? Had Arthur already stolen his heart away? Lovino could see it now; Antonio presenting Arthur with a gift made just for him, and then the two confessing to each other...Like a scene in some dumb shojo anime...

And then Lovino's chances with Antonio would be gone!

Lovino quaked in his shoes as the stupid scenario played out in his head...

"Hello?" Antonio called, noticing Lovino's desperate state, "You ok?"

The Italian's gaze remained fixed on Antonio's bag, for he feared that he would burn up if he dared look anywhere else...Even though the temptation to look over at Antonio's waist was almost too much to resist...

"Y-you're not going to see M-Mr Etoile, are you?" Lovino interrogated, "You're going to the kitchen alone, right?"

"Uh, yeah, that was the plan," Antonio informed him, "Anyway, why does it matter if I was planning to meet Arthur there? Am I not allowed to see the person I like anymore?"

Lovino's blood started to boil when Antonio finished that sentence...This could not be happening, Antonio belonged to HIM, not to that perv with stupid eyebrows...

"Geez, with the way you're acting, anyone else would assume that you're in love with me," the Spaniard remarked.

Lovino's breath caught in his throat, "A-and what makes you say that, tomato bastard?!"

"I've never seen anyone blush that much in my life," Antonio continued, "And you really don't like the fact that I'm interested in Arthur..."

The other boy felt his cheeks...And dear lord, they were burning! Lovino almost recoiled upon touching them; they were like two hot plates...

"Y-yeah? Well, you can fuck right off with that idea, I don't love you!" Lovino insisted, dashing away from Antonio. He couldn't take the embarrassment anymore...

Antonio sighed, and made his way to the kitchen...

B-B-BBB-BBBBBBBB-B

Arthur poured two cups of tea, and set one in front of a framed picture of himself with another boy.

"Do you remember this blend, Kiku?" he asked the picture, listlessly stirring his tea, "We had some with Afonso on your first night here. You were the only one who liked it."

No answer. The boys in the picture simply smiled back at Arthur, deaf to all but each other.

"I used to bring it to you, whenever we celebrated anything," Arthur continued, "On the day you passed your French exam, on your birthday, on the day that we became the Etoiles..."

And suddenly, all of Kiku's last days came flooding back to Arthur. All the days that Arthur had had to spend by Kiku's side, watching his illness slowly kill him, turning him into a shell of his former self. All the days that Arthur had spent, knowing that there was nothing he could do for Kiku except hold his hand and falsely promise that everything was going to be ok...

Arthur's tears fell into the mild tea, replacing its lightly sweet flavour with the taste of salt and grief...

B-B-BBBB-BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB-BB-B

"Ok, let's make the glaze now!" Antonio declared, after he'd filled his tart shells with crème patisserie and fresh strawberries. He smiled to himself as he imagined how Arthur would react to them...

"Right, I've got everything, so let's begin!"

Antonio jumped as he noticed the presence of someone else in the kitchen. This new boy was clearly one of St Spica's; his white blazer was proof of that. He was tall and stocky, with slicked back blond hair, and piercing blue eyes.

The blond boy looked up from his own cooking, and noticed Antonio at the stove in front of him...

"Ah, so you're the one causing all the fuss on Astraea Hill."

Antonio whipped around, to face the boy. "M-me? What have I done?"

"If the rumours are true, then you're the one that the Etoile kissed," the blond explained, "The envy of most, if not all of the pupils at the schools here."

"It's true," Antonio admitted, "Happened on my first day at St Miator's."

The boy shook his head. "Hmpf. St Miator's...The school for caged birds."

"C-caged birds?"

"That's what the other schools here call it," the boy continued, "A lot of you have roles to fill. Expectations to meet. You know your student council president, Afonso? He's been betrothed since birth. He will be married as soon as he graduates. As will most of the boys in the Tomato dorms."

Antonio snorted slightly, "I guess that's why St Miator's is also known as the school for husbands..."

The other boy sighed wistfully as he put a handful of chopped apples into a pot, "I don't have any such engagements, but...It's difficult being with the person you love, when you're someone like me..."

Antonio raised an eyebrow, "You are?"

"Ludwig Beilschmidt. I'm the captain of the show-jumping team at St Spica's," he greeted, "Since I'm very popular at my school, I can't go public about my relationship just yet. Not until I'm sure that Feliciano can handle all of the hate he'd receive for being with me."

"I'm in a similar situation myself," Antonio said, "My room-mate is getting really jealous over me liking the Etoile..."

"I'd be careful around him, then," Ludwig warned, "You wouldn't want him to try and steal your boyfriend, would you?"

Boyfriend? Antonio had to wonder...He did like Arthur, but was he ready for a relationship with him...?

B-BBBB-BBBBBBBBB-BBBBBB-BB

Feliciano sat under a tree, having been chased out of his dorm by Ludwig's admirers. Apparently, someone had gotten word of him being carried out of the forest by his angel, and the knowledge that Ludwig Beilschmidt maybe liked Feliciano, a nobody with terrible grades in everything except art, drove the boys of St Spica's crazy with envy.

The rain continued to fall, soaking Feliciano's white blazer. Was it really such a bad thing if he liked a popular boy? Ludwig was human too, wasn't he? He should be allowed to like someone, without half of St Spica's losing their minds...

Without anywhere dry to go, lest the St Spica boys catch him—Except the greenhouse, which everyone knew was off-limits to all pupils except the Etoile—Feliciano sat under the tree like some lonesome drowned rat...

"Feliciano!"

And there he was. Ludwig, his angel, on his trusty white steed, here to rescue him once again...

Star-Bright skidded to a halt as Ludwig offered his hand to Feliciano, asking, "What are you doing out here in the rain?"

"The other boys chased me out of my dorm," Feliciano sniffled.

Ludwig shook his head, "Come with me. You'll catch a cold if you stay out here any longer."

Feliciano accepted gratefully, and was once again whisked away by his angel...

B-B-BBBB-B-BBBBB-BBBB

Antonio waited until Lovino went to use the bathroom before he snuck out of their room, taking only his strawberry tarts with him.

He switched his phone off, and hid it in his underwear drawer...The last thing he wanted was an angry call from Lovino, while he was with Arthur...

He managed to slip completely unnoticed, away from the Tomato dorms, and past the nuns who patrolled the classrooms, meeting Arthur at his usual spot. Antonio appeared to have arrived just on time, as Arthur was just putting the Darjeeling tin back in its box behind the zinnias, and two cups of tea sat opposite each other, separated only by a pot of sugar.

"Evening," Arthur greeted, "How do you like your Darjeeling? With or without sugar?"

"Without, thanks," Antonio replied, setting his tarts on the table.

Arthur placed a spoonful of white sugar in his own tea, before he removed the pot from between the cups, "I wish I could've spent more time with you today, but...I had some Etoile things to take care of," he explained quickly, "Afonso would've killed me if I didn't get them done."

"Oh, it's no big deal," Antonio responded, "Being the Etoile must be a lot of work!"

"It is," Arthur agreed, "When you're forced to do it every day...Alone..."

He began listlessly stirring his tea, as if to melt his stresses into it, like the sugar. Rain continued to fall outside, pitter-pattering on the roof of the greenhouse. The warm, dry greenhouse, inside which were flowers that would never have to face the cold rain of the outside world...

Antonio nibbled a strawberry off of the top of his tart, unable to find any words to fill the silence between him and Arthur...

"How's things with you and Lovino?" the Etoile finally said, taking a bite of one of the tarts.

"I think you were right about him having a crush on me," Antonio sighed, "Today, he got angry when I left for the kitchen this morning, and asked me if you would be there."

"So, it was you who made these? No wonder they're so delicious," Arthur complimented, "And how did you know that strawberries go perfectly with Darjeeling?"

"Oh, I just did a bit of research," Antonio giggled, his cheeks going bright pink.

"Hm... Cute, a good cook, and a tea expert...You're the whole package!" Arthur decided, "Any boy on Astraea Hill would be lucky to have you!"

"Oh, stop it, you're making me blush," Antonio chuckled, casting a mock glare over at Arthur, as they continued speaking, long into the night...

Before long, it was about half-ten, and the rain was still falling outside...

"Let's head back to our rooms," Arthur demanded, "I don't want to be caught by the nuns again!"

"Neither do I," Antonio agreed.

Arthur stepped outside, and put up a small umbrella, "Do you have a coat or anything?"

"No," Antonio answered.

Arthur shook his head. "Then I'm walking you back to the dorms. I don't want you to get wet and catch a cold, or something."

"But what if Lovino sees us?" Antonio worried, "He's going to kill you if he sees me with you!"

"I'll deal with him myself," Arthur assured him, "I'm the Etoile, remember? No-one messes with me and gets away with it!"

Antonio nodded, and the two began a peaceful stroll back to the dorms...The small size of Arthur's umbrella meant that Antonio had to stay so close to him, that they were practically touching...And Arthur's occasional brush against Antonio's hand was definitely not accidental...

Eventually, the two gave in, and held hands all the way back to their dorms...

"See you tomorrow," Arthur said, just as they parted, "Same time."

"OK," Antonio agreed.

Once he arrived back at his and Lovino's room, Antonio was greeted by the sight of the glaring Italian, with his cheeks looking slightly stained.

"What...The...FUCK WERE YOU DOING WITH HIM?!" Lovino bellowed.

Shit...


	10. Acacia Blossom

"So what if I went to meet Arthur again tonight?!" Antonio scoffed, "Why is my love life any of your concern?!"

Lovino trembled as he fumbled for an answer...He knew exactly why his room-mate's interest in the Etoile bothered him so much, and yet, he just wasn't ready to admit it...So what could he do? Push Antonio away, and let Arthur-Fucking-Etoile-Kirkland steal him from right under his nose? Or let his jealousy get the better of him and fight for Antonio's love? Why was he being forced to take such drastic measures in the first place, though...?

"B-because...B-because...Arthur's bad news," Lovino insisted pitifully, "Y-you deserve someone better than him!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Antonio parried, "Arthur's been nothing but good to me. Great, actually, and I'm pretty sure he likes me"—

"NO HE DOESN'T!" Lovino bellowed, silencing the entire top floor of the Tomato Dorms, "Arthur will never truly like you!"

And then there were footsteps. Soft, padding footsteps, headed straight for Antonio and Lovino...

Arthur looked pretty ridiculous, stood in the middle of the hallway wearing only his pyjamas, and his blue Etoile pendant, but he still had the nerve to intervene in Antonio and Lovino's dispute, interjecting, "What were you saying about me, Lovino?"

The Italian's face assumed the most shit-eating of grins. "Just telling Antonio how you really feel about him," he said plainly, "You don't really like him at all, do you, Mr Etoile? Tell Antonio the truth now, before he goes and does something stupid like fall for you!"

Antonio's eyes met Arthur's, begging for what Lovino had said to not be true...

"I like you, Antonio..." Arthur assured him, "Really, I do."

"I-I do, too," Antonio responded, blushing heavily as he exhaled in relief. How silly of him to doubt Arthur because of his totally-not-jealous room-mate...

"H-how dare you say things like that to Antonio!" Lovino yelped hopelessly, his body trembling, "Now he's gonna think that you wanna be his boyfriend or something!"

"Yeah? Well, maybe I do," Arthur chuckled evilly, "I really like Antonio, he really likes me too, and I think I want to be his boyfriend. What's wrong with that?"

What was wrong with that? Ha, what a question that was...

"Lovino, there's no need to get all worked up! I'm sure that Arthur will keep being kind to me," Antonio added, "So, there's no need for you to worry! Right?"

"He's...He's a...ARTHUR YOU DIRTY FUCKING PERVERT, GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY ANTONIO!"

Antonio stood slack-jawed as Lovino boiled over, his feelings threatening to fill the hallway and drown all three of them.

"I think I've heard enough," Arthur remarked, smiling victoriously, "Lovino, are you mouthing me off to Antonio because you think I don't really like him? Or is it that you're not ready to admit that you like Antonio, and you want to drive him away from any potential love interests until you decide that you want him?"

That _hurt._ How dare Arthur say something that was so...True. But Lovino _knew,_ yes, knew, that he only kept a close eye on Antonio because he worried about him, that he only wanted to sit next to Antonio at dinner every night because Antonio always took the window seat, where you could see down all of Astraea Hill, and he only scanned Antonio's...Beautiful, olive skin, which glowed like it had been personally kissed by the Andalusian sunshine...Because he was checking that Antonio hadn't been hurt when he was getting changed for P.E., or Dance!

"You don't like Antonio," Lovino insisted, "You're just using him to plug that hole in your heart, aren't you?!"

Arthur's face suddenly turned white. "Lovino, don't you dare!"

"It's true, isn't it?!" Lovino snapped, taking the small opportunity he'd been given to win Antonio back, "I'm not the one who still has sad little tea parties with his dead boyfriend!"

"And I'm not the one acting like a crazy person because Antonio likes me, and not you!" Arthur yelled.

It was only when Lovino went for Arthur's face, striking him perfectly on the jaw that Antonio cried, "Enough! I don't want you fighting over me!"

But Lovino was completely deaf to Antonio's cries, screaming, "Haven't you had enough fun playing with Antonio's heart?!"

"Lovino, Antonio, Arthur, disciplinary room. Now." Sister Marianne growled.

The boys froze upon hearing the crabby nun's voice. And then...

"W-what?! But he started it!" Arthur said childishly, pointing at Lovino.

"I don't care who started it," Sister Marianne rebuked, "The three of you are coming to the disciplinary room, and you will explain why you've all been making such a racket after lights out. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes, Sister Marianne," the trio submitted.

It was Antonio who helped Arthur to his feet as they were lead downstairs to the disciplinary room. On the way down, Sister Marianne snapped at a few pupils who'd gotten out of their rooms, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ruckus in the Tomato Dorms...

"Right, let's hear it," Sister Marianne ordered. "Arthur, I'll listen to your side of the story first."

Arthur calmly explained what he'd heard, and what had prompted him to get out of his room, to go and get involved in the dispute.

"Lovino's just mad because Antonio here likes me, and not him!" Arthur moaned, clutching his bleeding jaw.

"I'm not sure I feel safe with Lovino anymore, considering what he did just now..." Antonio added.

"I see. Anything you wish to say, Lovino?" the nun enquired.

Lovino knew that he was completely defeated here. No-one was going to take his side...

"N-no, Sister Marianne."

The nun nodded. "Very well. Arthur, go back to your room. You will be doing half an hour in the disciplinary room tomorrow morning. Lovino, you will do an hour in the disciplinary room, and be suspended from class for one week. Antonio, we'll have to make alternate sleeping arrangements for you until Lovino cools off, but for tonight, you can sleep in the nurse's office."

"Yes, Sister Marianne," the boys droned, leaving for their respective beds...

BBBBBBBB-BB-BBBBBBBBBBBBB-

"You seem to have a knack for causing trouble, don't you?" Afonso huffed, applying antiseptic to Arthur's wound.

"Don't give me that look, Afonso, it wasn't my fault this time," Arthur whined, "Little Lovino Vargas threw a fit because Antonio and I like each other."

The ponytailed boy shook his head. "I heard, as did the rest of the dorm. I hope you'll treat Antonio well..."


	11. Camellia

It had been a week since Arthur and Lovino's little incident, and Antonio was still staying in the nurse's office, simply because he didn't want to go back to rooming with Lovino just yet. Perhaps it was for the best, though. Lovino probably wouldn't want to see Antonio after having his heart broken by him...

Antonio wasn't quite sure how to proceed with Arthur now, either. Arthur clearly liked Antonio, and he liked him back, but how would he maintain a relationship with Arthur, when he clearly still had his dead boyfriend on his mind? Arthur teared up whenever Antonio saw him sneak into that little room, to pour two cups of that plain, sweet-smelling tea...Seriously, Antonio had seen him cry over that boy too many times to count.

It was a shame, as Antonio really liked Arthur. He'd been so kind to him, ever since that kiss on his first day...

 _Bzzt!_

Antonio picked up his vibrating phone, and found that he had a long, drawn out text from Arthur waiting for him. That was strange, since the only texts he'd gotten in the past week were, _I'm sorry,_ repeated over and over by Lovino and by Arthur...

 _Antonio, I'm sorry about what happened. I really shouldn't have fired Lovino up like that. But everything I said to you that night was true. I really, really like you, and I'd love it if we could be together._

Those words made Antonio's heart quiver...But he ignored the feeling. Today, he was thinking with his head, not his heart. _And what about your dead boyfriend? I want you, Arthur, but I have to know that you truly want me too. I want to be your boyfriend, not a replacement for that boy,_ he tapped onto the cold glass.

On the other end of the line, Arthur flew into panic upon reading that text. He'd loved Kiku with all his heart. And no one would remember that he existed, if he didn't keep his memory alive...But at the same time, he was falling hard for Antonio. Yes, Arthur had dated quite a few boys since Kiku died, in order to try and fill the hole in his heart, but none of them had really fit the bill, until now. Antonio wasn't like the others. He'd wormed his way into Arthur's heart, and he was staying there. Arthur wanted desperately to push on, to have Antonio all to himself, but...

Was he ready to move on? And would he be prepared to let himself fall in love with Antonio, and face the possibility of losing the person he loved for a second time?

 _How ridiculous,_ Arthur mused, snapping out of those thoughts. Antonio wasn't going to die on him! Unlike Kiku, Antonio was perfectly healthy, to his knowledge. And besides, wouldn't Kiku want him to be happy?

 _I truly want you. I have something else to tell you, but I want to do it in person. I'll see you at the greenhouse in five._

Antonio slipped his phone back into his pocket, and wordlessly left for the greenhouse. He'd been there so many times with Arthur, that it was probably more apt to call it their 'date house' now...

The sweet smell of yarrow filled the air as Antonio arrived. So, Arthur had chosen tea made with the flower of everlasting love...

"So, you came?" Arthur said quietly, setting out his usual tea set on the table.

"Of course," Antonio answered, "Were you expecting me not to?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, not at all..." he mumbled, sipping on his tea to calm himself, even though it was still far too hot...

Antonio mirrored Arthur, and found that the tea had an interesting flavour. It was floral, yet very, very sweet at the same time, but he wanted to listen to Arthur before talking to him about such trite matters as tea...

Arthur inhaled sharply, giving Antonio no warnings before he showed his raw feelings. "What I wanted to tell you is...I loved Kiku with all my heart. I was completely devastated when he died. And..."

Arthur paused, to regain his composure before continuing, setting the tea down.

"I haven't felt the way I did about him for anyone...Until now. Antonio, I think I'm falling in love with you. A little bit of me will always be with Kiku, but, I finally think I'm ready to love again. And I want to love you."

"A-Arthur..." Antonio stuttered, his breath catching in his throat.

The two got up from the small table, and faced each other, each of them unable to look away from the other's eyes.

"If that's really how you feel, then"—

And Arthur pulled Antonio towards him, to form their second kiss. Their second kiss, but unlike the first, it actually meant something.

Antonio eased into Arthur's lips, and before long, the two feel to the ground, landing in a patch of daffodils. The two laughed it off, and kissed again, in amongst the flowers...

-BBBBBBBBBBBB-

Lovino lay still in Antonio's old bed—It reeked of his cologne, but he didn't care—As he wondered just where Antonio was now...


	12. Cactus

Primroses. Calla lilies. White roses. And a few red carnations, just for good measure.

Lovino had spent all day making a bouquet for Antonio, knowing that he was due to return to their room that evening. After much arguing (sic: begging), Antonio had finally agreed to move back into the Tomato Dorms, and to stop taking up the spare bed in the nurse's office. So Lovino had learned a few things about flower arrangement, and flower meanings from the floristry club, and had made a bouquet, as a welcome back gift for Antonio...Arthur wasn't the only one now who could show Antonio pretty flowers, and give him fancy tea...

Speaking of tea, Lovino had decided to attempt to make his own blend of tea for Antonio, instead of forking out for that fancy crap that Arthur drank. Nothing seemed like a better welcome back gift for Lovino's not-crush, than flowers which showed his feelings, and special, home-made tea...

If Antonio didn't like him, then, perhaps, Lovino could at least go back to being his friend. Well, that would be a step in the right direction, at least...

"Oh, so you like carnations, do you?" Arthur chuckled, walking Antonio past the rosebushes.

"They're my favourite flowers," Antonio replied.

"Well then, you're going to love what I've planted here!"

And Antonio was lead into a large area of the greenhouse, filled with row upon row of carnations. The outer ring was made up of red ones, and then the inner rings were filled with purple, white, yellow, and then, in the centre, there was a small patch of striped carnations.

"For some reason, I've taken a bit of a shine to them, recently," Arthur explained, "Well, I think they look much better than the spider lilies which used to grow here. Much less depressing!"

"Depressing? How can a flower be depressing?" Antonio enquired, playing with the petals of a red carnation.

The blonde Etoile sighed. "Spider lilies signify lost memories and abandonment, in Japanese hanakotoba," he responded, "Or...so they say..."

Arthur squeezed his eyes shut for a second, as the sight of Antonio admiring the carnations became a vision of Kiku playing with a spider lily...The last thing he needed was to be reminded of _him_...

"Do you know the meanings of carnations?" Antonio asked, snapping Arthur out of his daze.

"I'm not familiar with them, why?" The Etoile said.

The Spaniard plucked a red carnation from its spot in the soil, "Red carnations signify love, white signifies good luck...Yellow signifies disappointment, and striped ones mean, 'no', or 'I can't be with you', in flower language!"

Arthur's face suddenly reddened a little. "That's quite impressive!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Antonio giggled, "My mama keeps a garden of them at home, and she taught me the meanings of carnations when I was very little. She only likes the red ones, though..."

"And what about you? Which colour carnations do you like, Antonio?" Arthur enquired.

Antonio 'mmed', as he pretended to stop and think about it, "Red, of course!"

The Etoile nodded. "Wait here a moment."

When the blonde returned, he had a small pot, and a length of white ribbon in his hands. He surveyed the patch of carnations carefully, and selected a small bouquet of red ones, plus one striped one. He took care only to choose the very best of the bunch, with the softest, crinkliest petals, and he tied them up with the length of ribbon, and put them in the pot, before he handed them to Antonio.

"For you, darling," he said jokily, pecking Antonio on the cheek.

"Oh, Arthur, they're beautiful," Antonio gushed, "Thank you," and he returned the peck.

Arthur chuckled good naturedly. "Why don't I take you out somewhere tomorrow, Antonio? I was thinking of taking a taxi to a beach...We could sunbathe, go swimming, maybe do something a bit...Naughty~"

Antonio giggled nervously as his face flushed, and he backed away from Arthur. "That does sound fun, but...How far is it to the beach from here?"

"'Bout twenty minutes in the taxi," Arthur answered.

"Ok, sounds great! I'll see you in the morning!"

"Yeah, see you about nine!" The Etoile agreed.

When Antonio arrived back at his and Lovino's room, his room-mate wasn't there, but he found a bouquet of flowers, and some home-made tea, addressed to him, on his desk.

 _Welcome back, Antonio,_ the tags read, in Italian, by the looks of the words.

Antonio carefully examined the flowers. Primroses, meaning 'I can't live without you'. The calla lilies said, 'magnificent beauty'. 'Pure love', the white roses added. And Antonio guessed that Lovino only added the red carnations, because he knew that Antonio liked them.

Antonio moved the bouquet, to make room for Arthur's carnations. But he picked the striped one out of its ribbon...

Antonio was already asleep when Lovino returned to their room. He used the glow of his phone to inspect his desk, and found a single, striped carnation, along with the bouquet that he'd made for Antonio.

A striped carnation. A no.


	13. Zinnia

"I'll be out all day. You can cover for me again, right, Afonso?"

The ponytailed boy sighed as he watched Arthur pick up his things. "I always do, Arthur," he reminded him, "Even when you're here, you barely attend to any of your Etoile duties."

The Etoile didn't even bother to defend himself. He knew full well that what Afonso said was one hundred percent true...

"I suppose it's a good thing that you won't be the Etoile for very much longer. That pendant of yours should go to someone who actually deserves it," Afonso finished.

Arthur's face fell, and he gripped the tiny, blue teardrop of his pendant. "It's only one day until I have to give this up..."

Afonso nodded. "Indeed it is. Best leave it here, so you don't lose it while you're at the beach," and he gestured to a wooden box, which held Kiku's red pendant.

Arthur gritted his teeth, and shakily removed his Etoile pendant. He felt naked without it, but...Afonso was right. The new Etoile deserved this pendant just as much as he had, on the day that he and Kiku were announced as Astraea Hill's Etoile pair...

"I'll see you later," was all that the Etoile could bring himself to say, as he left Afonso, and his treasured pendant behind...

The sun, the sea...Oh, and Antonio's cute smiling face, of course. Nothing could have made for a more perfect beach day, in Arthur's eyes.

"What do you want to do first?" Arthur offered, as they left the taxi.

"Is that...Is that churro flavoured rock over there?"

Arthur looked over at the sweet shop that Antonio had his eye on...And right in the front window, there was a display of rock sticks, ranging from the standard mint and tutti-frutti flavours, to more unusual ones, such as churro, candyfloss, cookie dough...And even fish and chips.

"That place is known for its rock. Did you want to go get some?" Arthur enquired.

"You bet!" Antonio chirruped, taking Arthur's hand.

And within minutes, the pair were inside the shop, picking up all sorts of outlandish sweets to try. Antonio played it safe, buying churro rock for himself, and some apple rock for Sadik, and the other members of the baking club...While Arthur went for a stick of fish and chips rock...And then ten more, when he ate his first stick, and declared it the best candy ever made...

"Fancy a bite?" Arthur offered, breaking his second stick in two.

Antonio took one sniff, and decided that it wasn't for him. "Uh...No, thanks..." he replied, as politely as possible.

"Why not? Wouldn't you eat it if it was...What is it that you Spaniards eat again? Garlic soup, or perhaps...Jamon serrano flavour?" the Etoile questioned.

"H-hell no! I mean...I like jamon serrano, but I wouldn't want it in a candy!" Antonio retorted.

Arthur shook his head. "Suit yourself," he mumbled, taking a huge bite.

Antonio almost retched at the sight. The stench of fish, coming from that rock was absolutely nauseating. He hoped that Arthur would pop a mint, or at least eat something that didn't stink later, so his mouth wouldn't taste like fish when he kissed him...

The two went down to the beach, in the hopes of relaxing a little, and catching some sun, only to find that it had become completely overrun with families. Every possible space was taken up with beach towels, parasols, and all the usual seaside junk, plus two hundred Susie and John Smiths, Spot the dog, and a bunch of little 'darlings', shrieking and kicking up clouds of sand.

"How about we go do something else for a bit?" Arthur suggested. Somehow, he didn't feel that he'd get to enjoy himself, if he and Antonio couldn't at least get some peace and quiet...

"Sounds good to me," Antonio agreed. The sight of another couple their age—Two girls, being screamed at by two kiddies was really killing his mood...

So the two hit the trashy little seaside gift shops, finding nothing of interest besides even stranger rock flavours, and odd trinkets.

"I bet Kiku would've liked this," Arthur mumbled, checking the price tag of a Hokkaido dog painting.

"What did you say, Arthur?" Antonio cut in, having chosen a carving of an Iberian lynx.

Arthur shook his head. "It was nothing. Are you done in here?"

Antonio nodded. "How about we go and see if the beach is any less busy?"

By midday, the crowd at the beach had thinned considerably, as some of the families appeared to have left...

After going for a swim, and sunbathing (But not for very long, since Arthur's skin apparently could not handle the sun), the pair went for ice cream. Arthur insisted on going to the huge parlour across the road, the one with over two hundred flavours on the menu...And all he ordered was a simple vanilla whippy, while Antonio went for a few scoops of the more unusual flavours. When else was he ever going to get to have Seville orange sorbet, coffee ice cream, and savoury tomato ice cream all in one go?

Sticky ice cream kisses followed. The remaining traces of ice cream mixed in the pair's mouths, forming an unusually sweet flavour. And then the pair went back down to the beach.

Lucky for them that the beach was mostly empty now, and Antonio had thought to bring an extra towel...

Within minutes, their clothes were in piles on the sand, having been torn away as the two shoved their tongues as far into each other's mouths as possible. Arthur made the first move, removing Antonio's shorts with a swift motion. He was all out in the open, exposed, just for him...

Antonio hissed, and his hips bucked as he felt himself stiffen, as if to cling to Arthur's fingers. The blond Brit just teased him, at first, only grazing the tip with his lips as he listened to Antonio whimper, begging for him to just do it already...

And once he'd had enough of teasing him, Arthur went straight for the kill, his cheeks hollowed as he bobbed up and down Antonio.

Awkwardly repositioning himself, to lie flat against Antonio, the blond ravaged his partner's upper body, and then got back to work on his mouth...

When the need to breathe became too great for him to continue, Arthur purred, "You like that?" as he broke away, to look Antonio in the face.

"Keep going!" Kiku begged.

Kiku?! No, it was supposed to be Antonio who was lying beneath him, begging for more...

"Are you...ok?" Antonio enquired. Arthur's blank stare was starting to freak him out...

This could not be happening. Why was Kiku here, and what had he done with Antonio?!

"Antonio?" the Etoile tried, "Where are you?"

Antonio's eyebrows furrowed, "I'm right here, Arthur! What's the matter with you?!"

Kiku's soft brown eyes stared up at Arthur, widened in concern.

"Kiku, you can't keep doing this to me," the blond whimpered, "I love you, and I miss you so much, but I need to move on! I need Antonio right now, not you!"

"Arthur, it's ok, I'm here!" Antonio cried, desperately attempting to reach Arthur.

Arthur bolted, leaping off of Antonio and wrapping himself in a towel. "I'm sorry, Kiku...I'm so sorry..." he mumbled, "Let me go, Kiku...Please..."

 **I apologise for the quality, this is the first time I have ever written a sex scene X.X. And before you ask about the candy, yes, it's true, fish and chip flavour candy really does exist in the UK. I considered buying some on my recent trip to Weymouth...See y'all next chapter, which should be very soon, since I'm outta college now!**

 **Kitty x**


	14. Marigold

Antonio awoke the next morning to the sight of Afonso, stood at the foot of his bed, with a steaming mug of sweet tea in his hands.

"I'm sorry that Arthur freaked out on you," the ponytailed boy said gently, handing the tea to Antonio, "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know," was all that Antonio could think to say. It wasn't like he blamed Arthur for what had happened, but...

Afonso sat on the bed, turning his face to the ground. "I bet Arthur's told you a lot about Kiku, hasn't he?"

"All I know is his name, and that he's dead," Antonio answered, "And that Arthur must've really loved him..."

Afonso couldn't help but chuckle at Antonio's ignorance. "Loved him? You don't know the half of it," he snorted, "On the day we lost Kiku, we might as well have lost Arthur as well. It's been a year now, and he hasn't been the same since."

The Spaniard shifted forward, and softly begged, "Tell me, then. I want to know everything about what happened."

"And what would be the point of that?" Afonso replied, "Antonio, I appreciate what you've done for Arthur, really, I do. You've made a valiant effort to get inside his heart, and I really believed that you could do it, but it was all for nought. I don't know if he can love anymore, after what happened..."

"I still want you to tell me everything," Antonio insisted, "Because...I'm not ready to give up on Arthur just yet! I want to understand all of his pain!"

Shocked, the Portuguese boy inhaled deeply, facing Antonio for just a second. Those eager eyes were filled with a determination he'd never seen in any of Kiku's other replacements...

"I hate to drag another person into this story, but," Afonso's eyes fell, to look at the bare floor, "If you insist, then suit yourself."

"So, you'll really tell me everything?" Antonio questioned.

"Every last detail. It was about two years ago now, when Arthur and I were third years...We were given the task of helping a new student settle in...

"Why did we have to get stuck with the new boy?! On a Saturday, no less!" Arthur whined, as he and his room-mate, Afonso, made their way to the main office.

"It's our job, Arthur," Afonso snapped, "We're the presidents of the student council, so we must make sure that this Kiku Honda kid gets the welcome that he deserves."

Arthur mockingly imitated Afonso, under his breath. His room-mate was _so_ boring, always going on about responsibility and duty...

"There's no need to make such a fuss, Arthur! Besides, Kiku's exactly your type. I'm sure that you two will get along just fine!"

"Sure we will," Arthur snorted.

Gilbert and Ludwig, the student council presidents of St Spica's, were already in the office when Arthur and Afonso arrived, along with Alfred and Matthew, the student council presidents of St Lulim's.

"Look, Kiku! You can see that cathedral from here!" Alfred chirruped, to a small boy, sat in a chair by the window.

"Yes. It's very pretty," the boy replied.

Afonso closed the door discreetly, motioning for Arthur to go forward.

"We're Arthur and Afonso, the student council presidents of St Miator's"—

The instant that Kiku turned around, and his eyes met Arthur's, it was like magic. Arthur's heart began to pound as he looked into the eyes of this beautiful creature, transfixed by his soft brown eyes...

"Kiku Honda," the boy said, getting up from his chair, "It's nice to meet you."

And that marked the start of Arthur and Kiku's relationship.

Thigs were great for the pair, at first. Midnight tea parties in Afonso's dorm (With a strange blend of tea that only Kiku seemed to like), kisses behind the classroom, a dance under a starry sky, lit up with shooting stars. The honeymoon phase.

A confession behind the gym. Stealing glances at one another during morning prayers. Sneaking out late at night to make love. Arthur and Kiku couldn't have wanted anything more, than each other, and those little things that they did together.

But one night, as Arthur was taking Kiku out for a midnight picnic, the boy collapsed, out of breath from the simple action of running.

A little later, Kiku was sent to a nearby hospital, where it was concluded that he would need a lung transplant. Arthur held his hand and promised him that he'd be ok, because they'd find him a donor, wouldn't they? And then Kiku would get better...Right?

Kiku was allowed back to St Miator's, for a bit. But even then, he found it difficult to enjoy his time with Arthur anymore. All he ever really did when Arthur wasn't with him was anxiously check his phone, or his emails, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, his mother had contacted him to say that they'd found him a match.

So, in the hopes of distracting Kiku, from the search for a donor, Arthur suggested that they put their names into the Etoile election. Kiku and Arthur both adored the greenhouse, and if they won the election, they'd have free reign of it! And that would make Kiku happy, at least for a bit, or so Arthur hoped...

Kiku's condition continued to get worse, though. Some days, he could stand up, and walk around his room for a bit, but on other days, he could barely even sit up in bed.

One day before the Etoile election, Arthur and Afonso paid him a visit, and found him coughing, barely sat up in his bed.

"How are you doing today?" Arthur enquired.

"I feel fine," Kiku wheezed, "At least, better than I did yesterday..."

Arthur and Afonso went to run a bath for Kiku, knowing that he probably hadn't had the strength to run one himself...

"If he's really this sick, then shouldn't we take him back to the hospital?" Afonso questioned, his arms deep in the water.

Arthur shook his head. "He doesn't want to die there. It's been six months, and the doctors still haven't found a donor for Kiku. They said that if one doesn't come up soon, then..."

Afonso's eyes widened as he turned to glare at Arthur, "No... And to think...To think that you're dragging him into the Etoile election with you!" he yelled, his voice breaking bit by bit, "Why?! Why did you have to place such a burden on him, when he's like this?!"

"We decided together that I would become the Etoile," Arthur said knowingly, "I promised Kiku that I would do everything that he couldn't."

"You will become the Etoile," Afonso confirmed, "All you have to do is get up on that stage."

Afonso forced a smile, to hide his grim expression as his buttoned Kiku's shirt for him.

"OK, I'm done."

"Thank you, Afonso-kun," Kiku rasped, admiring his outfit in the mirror. It was customary for the Etoile candidates to dress up for when the results were announced, and Kiku had wanted to obey this custom in spite of his condition.

Kiku and Afonso walked out onto the stage together, Afonso steadying Kiku with his arm as he handed him over to his Etoile partner, Arthur.

"This year's Etoile will be from St Miator's Boys' Academy, Arthur Kirkland and Kiku Honda!"

Kiku's face lit up as he was given a small, silver pendant, with a red teardrop, while Arthur was given one with a blue teardrop...

That was the last happy memory that Arthur would ever have with Kiku.

Day by day, Kiku grew weaker. The boy who'd so loved the red spider-lilies in the greenhouse could only dream of seeing them now, as he lay, confined to his bed, unresponsive even to Arthur's hand on his.

Arthur refused to let himself cry when Kiku was carried away in a body bag, even though he could hear the wails of his mother outside the dorms. He wasn't sure what was troubling her more; the fact that she faced the terrible task of burying her own child, or the fact that she had been so busy with work, that she hadn't even thought to pay a visit to her son in his final days.

Arthur kept it together at the funeral, somehow. St Spica's choir sang. Afonso was given the task of placing flowers on top of Kiku's little white coffin. And then there was a terrible speech by Sister Bernadette. Arthur was forced to cover his ears as she went on and on about how Kiku was in a better place now, up in the arms of the angels. Kiku didn't belong with the angels, damn it, he belonged _here,_ with Arthur.

And on the day that Kiku's room was to be cleared out, Arthur lost it. Kiku had always been facing death, but never did he show any fear, never had he cried, or been resentful in any way about his condition...

Arthur didn't possess any such strength.

Bare walls. Bare mattress. And a bare desk, where Kiku had once kept all of his medicines and tea and favourite books...

Arthur just couldn't stand the sight of that room anymore.

Great, frame-shaking wails erupted one-by-one from Arthur, as he clutched all that remained of the boy he'd loved; that little red Etoile pendant.

"And that's...Everything I know," Afonso finished, "I've watched him try to fill the hole in his heart countless times with other boys, but..."

Afonso froze, when he felt Antonio's hands brush against his back.

"That's...too awful!" Antonio whimpered, "Too awful!"

All Afonso could do was cry with Antonio, holding him in his arms as they grieved over Kiku's miserable end...


	15. Daffodil

"So, the Etoile elections start tomorrow," Lovino mused, "Are you gonna put your name in, Antonio?"

"What would be the point?" the boy replied, his face buried deep in his pillow, "You have to pair up with someone else before you put your name in, and I don't have anyone to pair up with..."

The Italian dismissed the tiny flutter in his chest, gripping his bedsheets. "Not even your little boyfriend?"

"No," Antonio mumbled miserably. The last thing that he needed was for Lovino to taunt him about Arthur. What was he thinking, getting a relationship with a boy who was too broken by the death of his previous lover to care about anyone else? God, he felt stupid...

At this point, Lovino knew that getting Antonio back on his side would be pretty easy. All he had to do was feign a little sympathy, and the Spaniard would be putty in his hands...

"Fuck him," the Italian said, adding a rare smile, "How about this: I'll be your Etoile partner?"

B-B-B-B-B-B

Arthur's breath hitched as closed the box containing his and Kiku's Etoile pendants, and gave the golden latch a last polish.

This was it. He'd known that this day would come ever since he and Kiku became the Etoile pair...

But he was the first Etoile to perform the first ceremony of the election all on his own.

"I wonder who the new Etoile pair will be, Kiku?" he muttered looking back at his photograph of the boy. As usual, Kiku sat, smiling like no-one was watching, all dressed up in a crisp white shirt, with the red gem of his Etoile pendant hanging in the centre of his chest.

Hold on a second...

What was that little white slip of paper, stuck right at the bottom of the frame? Had it always been there...?

Arthur yanked the slip free from the frame, and unfolded it, to find a letter, written in shaky handwriting...

 _Dear Arthur,_

 _I don't have much time left, but before I go, there's some things that I really need to tell you. First of all, thank you for everything. I've had a wonderful time here at St Miator's, thanks to you, and to Afonso. Really, I couldn't have asked for a better school life, even if it didn't last very long._

 _I'll never forget all of our treasured memories. The night we saw that comet shower, the time we made love under the moonlight, and...The Etoile Election. The day we got up on that stage, with all of Astraea Hill cheering for us...That was the best day of my life._

 _I'm like the flowers in the greenhouse. I was happy, being kept warm and dry here, even though I will never see the outside world, but you? You're like the flowers outside. You can stand in the rain, and you should always have someone have someone standing with you. Someone who loves you as much as I do._

 _Be happy, my love, and goodbye,_

 _Kiku_

"Kiku..."

Arthur trembled as he clutched the letter to his chest, choking back a weak sob.

"Kiku..."

St Spica's choir began the second that Arthur stepped into the cathedral door, clutching the Etoile pendants. The so-called 'heavenly' chorus harmonised perfectly as he took anxious steps towards the altar.

 _"_ _Like the white of a sublime lily,_

 _Like the spirit of a mysterious rose,_

 _Like the green of a field of fresh leaves,_

 _The queen of heaven smiles lovingly."_

The altar was decorated with lilies. Sickly sweet white lilies, leaving only one spot to place the box. Arthur pressed on, in spite of every instinct telling him to turn away and run, run away with his last memory of Kiku...

 _"_ _The shining light, our mother,_

 _The weak coming thou protect the children and others too."_

"Kiku...Kiku..."

Arthur forced himself to let go of the box, so it could sit on the altar, ready for the next Etoile pair...

"Goodbye, Kiku," he mumbled, looking up at the stained glass at the back of the church.

Amongst the saints in the picture, Arthur swore that he saw Kiku, waving and saying, "Goodbye, Arthur," as he floated up and away.

Somehow, it seemed fitting for the choir's hymn to finish, just as Arthur turned to leave. A single, beautifully sung, "Amen," to mark the end.


	16. Forget-Me-Not

Two weeks had passed, and today, it was finally time to announce which two boys would become Astraea Hill's new Etoile pair.

Around thirty pairs of boys had put their names in, most of them couples, but everyone knew that there were only four whom were really in with a chance of becoming the new Etoile pair. Alfred and Yao, from St Lulim's, Ludwig and Feliciano, from St Spica's, Gilbert and Roderich, from St Miator's...

And Lovino and Antonio.

Antonio had only agreed to become Lovino's Etoile partner in the hopes that maybe, the excitement around the election would get his mind off of Arthur, but to no avail. Somehow, even though he was in with a chance of being half of the Etoile pair, the most adored students in all of Astraea Hill's three schools, he found himself unable to think about anything except Arthur.

But why? It was over with him, wasn't it? Arthur's heart would forever belong to Kiku. To the boy whom he'd loved and lost...

Antonio had really tried his best to move on. He'd deleted Arthur's number, thrown away the tea that Arthur had given him, and at the end of the school day, he took a different route to his dorm, so that he wouldn't bump into him. He'd even let Lovino kiss him one time. Antonio should've been happy; he'd gotten a kiss from someone who loved him with all his heart, but...It just wasn't the same as kissing Arthur. When Lovino kissed him, Antonio's mind couldn't help but to wander to thoughts of Arthur.

Arthur. Arthur, Arthur, Arthur, Arthur, Arthur.

Antonio could not keep denying it to himself; he still loved Arthur.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he listened to Sister Bernadette's speech, taking his place beside Lovino.

"And this year's Etoile pair will be..."

Arthur lay still on his dorm bed, gazing up at the ceiling with dead eyes. For the past two weeks, he'd had some strange feelings, starting from the day that he'd let go of his title, and those pendants.

The weight on his chest, the crushing grief from losing Kiku was all gone. But it still felt like something was there. Something big. Something that was waiting to fill up the new space in his heart.

In spite of all that had happened, Antonio's face would not leave his head. And neither would the memories that Arthur had shared with him. How vivid they were, as they flashed past Arthur's eyes; the day that they'd met, all the meetings in the greenhouse, the day at the beach...

And then it hit him. Something filled Arthur's chest right up, threatening to make it explode.

The taste of Antonio's lips. His smile. The way that he sipped his tea, in a kind of anxious fashion. His beautiful green eyes. How could he have been so blind?!

Arthur was certain now what it was that he wanted, and he knew that he wasn't wrong...

"This year's Etoile will be..."

The doors crashed as they suddenly opened, and someone ran down the aisle, stopping halfway. Before Sister Bernadette could open her mouth to reprimand the someone, he opened his mouth, and cried out:

"Antonio!"

Antonio locked eyes with...Arthur. His green eyes were wide, and he was panting as he extended his hand. Had he been running all the way here?

"Antonio, I love you!"

The attending students erupted into chatter, along with the all of the Etoile candidates...Except Antonio. His cheeks were aflame as he looked at Arthur, but he turned away, cursing to himself...

"But...You..." he stuttered.

Arthur shook his head. "Antonio, I'm sorry about everything! But, I've realised now that I really do love you," he explained, "With all of my heart, Antonio, I love you!"

Antonio felt Lovino's hands brush against his back before he even had a chance to react.

"There's...Nothing I can do anymore, is there?" the Italian whispered, his voice breaking.

"Lovino..."

Lovino took a sharp breath in. "Go, Antonio," he urged, "You love him, don't you? So, go with Arthur!"

And he yanked Antonio's tie off, pushing him into the aisle.

Antonio loved Arthur. He wasn't sure if going with him was the wisest decision, but he couldn't help but cry out in delight as Arthur ran to him, picked him up, and swung him bridal-style around in his arms.

"Let's get away from here," Arthur suggested.

Antonio nodded, and soon, he found himself being carried down the aisle, and then down the path, away from Astraea Hill.

As the remaining attendants and Etoile candidates cried out in shock, Lovino blinked back tears, gripping the insides of his pockets.

"Congratulations, Antonio," he whimpered, "Congratulations."

About halfway away from St Miator's, Antonio just had to question where it was that Arthur planned to take him, after their big romantic escape.

"I know just the place," Arthur replied, "You'll see when we get there."

Sister Bernadette hushed everyone quickly, as she resumed announcing the results. "This year's Etoile pair will be from St Spica Boys' Institute, Ludwig Beilschmidt, and Feliciano Vargas!"

Lovino just had to look up, wiping his eyes quickly with his sleeve as he saw his brother receive his Etoile pendant. Sister Bernadette gave him the blue one, which used to belong to Arthur, and his eyes lit up when Ludwig received the matching red one.

"Congratulations to you as well, brother," he muttered.

It was long into the night when Arthur finally set Antonio down, by a lake in the middle of the forest. The moon's reflection wobbled on the water's surface, as cicadas chirped around the pair.

"Beautiful out here, isn't it?"

"It is," Antonio agreed.

Arthur smiled and drew him close. "Is it ok if I tell you now?" he enquired, whispering the question softly into Antonio's ear.

"Tell me what?" the Spaniard returned.

"How I feel," Arthur said bravely, "Is it ok I tell you, truly and honestly how I feel about you?"

Antonio shifted even closer. "No need. You wouldn't have gone to the effort of snatching me away if you didn't love me, would you?" he remarked, "But...Tell me anyway."

Arthur pressed his lips to Antonio's forehead. "Alright then, I'll tell you," and he played with one of Antonio's curls, "You've made me truly happy for the first time since Kiku died. Every time I'm with you, I can't help but want to smile. I love you. I love every last thing about you."

Antonio could only reply with one thing. "I love you too, Arthur."


End file.
